


See you again.

by LadySeara



Category: Free!
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Don't Judge Me, Ikuya and Hiyori tries to figure things out, M/M, Oh my God I wrote it in two hours, i want them to be happy, it depends on what ending will you choose, it seems chaotic but who thinks clearly after arguments?, takes place after episode 6, these tags are messed up
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-20
Updated: 2018-08-20
Packaged: 2019-06-30 03:00:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,396
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15742821
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadySeara/pseuds/LadySeara
Summary: Right after their argument on the playground, Hiyori and Ikuya tries to sort things out. Where did they make a mistake? How they could change things?NOTE: this fic has two alternative endings. First is the "bad" ending, the one I originally planned. The second one (chapter 2) is the "good" one.





	1. Nothing like us + BAD ENDING

Hiyori stood in the middle of the playground, listening to his own heartbeat. He hadn’t realize that first raindrops hit around him and the thunder went through the sky. He was so lost in his thoughts, going through Ikuya’s words over and over again.   
_“You don’t understand anything! Don’t talk like you do!”_  
Has he really misunderstood Ikuya? He always thought they get along pretty well. Maybe it was only for him? Maybe the other boy didn’t feel like that at all? Could it be – while Hiyori thought about them as a friends – Ikuya saw him just as an acquaintance? Perhaps if Hiyori disappears for Ikuya’s like, he won’t notice?  
 _“You’re not the normal Ikuya right now. Ever since you saw Nanase… Just forget about him. Ikuya…”_  
Has he said something wrong? Maybe Ikuya thought he is a jealous, possessive psycho? But wasn’t it all Ikuya’s idea? In the beginning Hiyori thought that meeting Nanase Haruka and the others would bring misfortune to Ikuya. That talking about their shared past will only harm him. He could see it since they met Nanase that lazy afternoon. Ikuya was acting weird. He was supposed to forget about the past. Why did he forget about Hiyori and their good memories, yet he still has remembered the pain Nanase brought him? He gladly accepted his talk – he was supposed to keep Nanase and the others away from Ikuya. It wasn’t easy, no. This job made him hate himself even more. He acted cruel, but there wasn’t anything he wouldn’t do for Ikuya. Even if it means becoming a villain.   
_“Why don’t you get it?”_  
Yeah, why wasn’t Ikuya realizing that this was meaningless? He had a chance to talk to them. To bring an end to this situation. To get over it. To finally leave the past behind and reach for the global stage. Hiyori and Natsuya believed in him. Wasn’t it enough? Why was he so stubbornly focused on Nanase? Ikuya himself was better than him not only in free, but in any other stroke. He was the strongest. He didn’t need the stars to make his wishes come true. He just needed to believe in himself as hard as they believed in him.   
_“That would be the best thing for you right now!”_  
Wasn’t he always focused on this? He didn’t care about his own happiness. What was it anyway? Hiyori was always lonely. Being with Ikuya made him smile. Made him feel needed. Together they could do anything. Everything was possible. And Hiyori made sure that every move they made would suited Ikuya in the most optional way. To protect him and help him, he even move from America to Japan. He hasn’t been haunted by any regrets. Ikuya was his only family. The only person in the world that he cared about. He gave him a purpose to live and now so airily, so easily he took it away from him.  
 _“It’s not your concern, Hiyori!”_  
He wasn’t needed anymore?  
Hiyori clenched his fist over his heart, feeling a dull pain in his chest. His heart was breaking into pieces. He played his role. He was a shield, he was a messenger, he was a guardian. He has never been a friend, so now Ikuya is leaving him behind. Ikuya had showed Hiyori his place in Ikuya’s life. A tool.   
No more, no less.   
Not only didn’t he share his feelings, but he didn’t care at all. He left him alone – alone again in sandpit, the same way his parents had left him all his childhood – and didn’t look behind. 

Cold rain brought him back. His hear was beating fast, painfully, but it was still working. He was still alive, but what was the point? He wasn’t sure how to live for himself. Since he met Ikuya in San Francisco, he lived for him. He promised Natsuya to take care of Ikuya. It was fine. He gladly did that. He found Ikuya a funny, smart guy, easy to talk to. Beside swimming, they shared other hobbies. Watching horror movies, listening to the same music. Sometimes they went to zoo or to planetarium, where Ikuya could watch his beloved stars. Hiyori’s gaze never meet the stars.  
Ikuya was his only star.   
This memories had only hurt him more. Soaking wet, through the thunder and the rain, he went back home. He tried to find the moment in their past, when he fell in love with Ikuya. It was one sided and quiet. He would never admit. Hiyori cared too much to risk their friendship and here he was, left alone because it was a “friendship” only for him.   
What was worse?   
Being replaced by Nanase in Ikuya’s memories?   
To lost his only friend?   
To has his heart broken, since now he won’t even has a chance to tell Ikuya his real feelings?   
Hiyori smiled sadly to himself. He lost everything. He hadn’t had much from the beginning, but now he was left with only his pain. 

 

Ikuya made it to his home. He was also wet, so he took a shower and changed his clothes. He curled in his bed and tried to fall asleep, yet his thoughts kept him awake. Hiyori’s voice and concern written all over his face was too painful.   
_“You’re not the normal Ikuya right now. Ever since you saw Nanase… Just forget about him. Ikuya…”_  
It was easier said than done. He spend years trying to forget about Haruka. He was supposed to gave up his heart for the strength. His only worry was swimming. He set his eyes on the global stage and was perfectly fine until he met Haruka. Even then… Hiyori took care about it. He shielded him and protected him.   
What was he saying to them?   
What was he doing?  
Ikuya sat up. He has never asked. He had an idea, that Hiyori is using swimming as an excuse, but was it all? What was he going through to protect him?   
Has he ever said _“thank you”_?  
But Hiyori never complain. So he was okay with it, wasn’t he? If he wasn’t, he would told him. Ikuya was sure about it.  
 _Was he? Really?_  
Small, stubborn voice in his mind hasn’t stopped with the questions. Was Hiyori really okay? Was his smile true? When he told him that everything is fine, wasn’t it a lie? What was he talking about, when he asked about Little Mermaid’s death? Was…   
Was Hiyori okay?  
Ikuya tried to find his phone. They argued before, but never such severely. Hiyori always reached out to him after it. They talked about the argument and then act like nothing bad happened.   
It would be like that this time too?   
Ikuya tried to unlock his phone, but the battery was dead. With a sigh, he found the charger and put it in. It took few minutes, before the screen lighted up.   
No messages.   
No missed calls.   
He was surprised. Why didn’t Hiyori contact him? He was always checking up on him in the evening. Reminding him to take his medicines before he go to bed. Was Hiyori okay? Did he make it to his place before the storm?   
Ikuya’s heart skipped a beat.  
 _Was Hiyori okay?_  
He bit his lower lip and looked at the time. Maybe Hiyori was already asleep? It was a long day and the training was hard. Perhaps he was tired? But even if they trained so hard, without the rest, Hiyori always wished him a goodnight in e-mail. Every evening.  
Who would suppose that he will miss it so much?  
“I’m stupid. This is stupid. I’m making things up”, Ikuya whispered to himself and got back to bed.   
He was laying in the dark silence, wishing for sleep to come and make him forget about everything. He didn’t mean to attack Hiyori. Ikuya knew he meant well. He was only trying to help.   
Hiyori was protecting him, as usual.   
Hiyori saw something in Ikuya, something Ikuya wasn’t able to see himself.   
Ikuya wriggled in his bed, trying to find a comfortable position to sleep, but his thoughts where overwhelming. He found surprising that he could only focus on Hiyori. At least for once over this past weeks, he wasn’t thinking about Haru.   
_“Even if I sink, no one’s going to save me anymore.”_  
Ikuya groaned. Why did he say that? Natsuya told him the truth last year. Now he knew it was Hiyori who saved him in America, no Haruka’s shadow or ghost (he blamed this nonsense on oxygen deficiency). Yet he was so stubborn and didn’t thank him properly. Nevertheless, Ikuya didn’t feel guilt – or at least he thought he’s not. Hiyori never brought this topic and talked to him about it.   
Maybe it wasn’t such a big deal for him anyway?   
Obviously, he was sure that Hiyori would be always beside him. It was natural for years. They were always together and when Ikuya told him that, once the high school would be over, he is going to Tokyo, it wasn’t surprising that Hiyori was ready to go with him. He knew Hiyori was looking at other Universities, but – it wasn’t bad, was it? - he told him that “it would be nice to be on the same team, right?”.   
Of course Hiyori chose Shimogami University.   
_“You don’t have to wish on stars to make dreams come true!”_  
Hiyori’s words won’t let him fall asleep. He sat on his bed and combed his hair using his fingers. What was his dream anyway? To compete on global stage? To be as free as Natsuya is? He has forgotten about it long ago. He was lost. Hiyori was his only supporter and a guide at the same time. When he got scared or lonely, he was always beside him. When Ikuya wasn’t sure what to do, Hiyori always came up with a resolution. He was his voice of reason.   
He loved him. Quietly. Well, Ikuya wasn’t sure if it was the love, but it definitely was something. He couldn’t imagine his life without Hiyori. His presence made everything clearer. Easier. When Natsuya had left him, Ikuya felt lonely, but then Hiyori took him in. Without questioning, without judging. For years he stood with him, in good and bad, without complaining. Whatever haunted Ikuya, Hiyori was there to push it away.   
And how did he repay him?   
He pushed him away. He gave up his heart to get stronger and he didn’t realize, that the biggest sacrifice is his relationship with Hiyori, whatever it was. Platonic, friendship, something more. He was so focused on the past and on his own pain that he didn’t notice it on time.   
He remembered Hiyori’s words.   
_“The Little Mermaid was by the prince’s side all along, and yet...”_  
 _“Something’s wrong?”_  
 _“Nah… nothing’s wrong”_  
Ikuya felt stupid. Hiyori was with him all the time. Lonely and loyal. Hurt and supportive. He hid his feelings behind the fake smile and let Ikuya be miserable. He did everything to cheer him up – he even found some exotic coffees and bars to drag him and make him forget about the pain for at least a few hours. He never told Ikuya about his own anxiety, because Ikuya never cared to dwelt on the subject. He was content with the fake smiles, because they were convenient.   
“What kind of friend am I?”, Ikuya asked himself, feeling a lump in his throat. “How can I ask for more, if I fail to be a companion?”  
 _“Can’t you just forget about the Nanase already? I can’t stand to see you suffering because of him any longer.”_  
Ikuya realized that he wasn’t the only one who was suffering. Neglecting Hiyori’s feelings and using him for all this years, created unbearable suffering for him. He was so egoistic, that he didn’t grasped it. Wasn’t he even worse than Haru?   
When their team broke apart, they were kids. It was many years ago. It was in the past. They were naive and stupid. The relay wasn’t a big deal, they could still be friend if they talk to each other. Instead they were avoiding each other. Or more like Ikuya was avoiding them, using Hiyori as a guard.   
_“I’ll think about myself, for myself.”_  
He didn’t consider his feelings. He was an adult now and here he was, making the same mistake and hurting his only friend. Ikuya concentrated on himself, while he was also fixated on Haruka. He was blind, so, so blind.   
Will Hiyori forgive him?  
 _“You don’t understand anything! Don’t talk like you do!”_  
Guilt rushed through Ikuya’s veins. Hiyori understood more than Ikuya, Haruka and the others combined. He tried to tell him, but Ikuya turned a deaf ear on his reasonable arguments.   
He checked his phone again but still no messages.   
“I will talk to Hiyori tomorrow. We will fix it”, Ikuya whispered to the silence of the room. He tried to believe in those words. 

When Ikuya woke up, the sun was up. It was unusual, since Hiyori always wakes him before sunrise. The night was awful. When he was finally able to fall asleep, he was tormented by nightmares. Sometimes it was him who was drowning, sometimes it was Hiyori and he could only watch, paralyzed with fear. Ikuya probably turned off the clock alarm in his phone, that’s why he has overslept.   
But Hiyori should have wake him up by now.   
Ikuya checked his phone and uneasiness fell on him.   
No missed calls. No messages.   
Hiyori hadn’t contacted him since last night and it was the longest break in messaging each other they every have. Was he angry with him? It wouldn’t be surprising. Ikuya knew he made a mistake. He hurt Hiyori and there was no explanation.  
Ikuya realized sacrifices that Hiyori made for him. In his dreams, when Hiyori was drowning, he couldn’t breathe. His life without Hiyori would be meaningless. He was his friend for all along, without a doubt. He kept his promises and brought smile and fun into Ikuya’s sad world.   
He owed him apologies. He owed him his thanks.   
He owed him a lot.   
Today was the day. Today he will tell him. 

When he didn’t meet Hiyori on the campus, Ikuya felt lonely. They were always together. It was weird to sit alone in the canteen or to be at the lecture by himself. Was Hiyori sick? He hasn’t contacted him yet, and Ikuya was more worried with every passing second. He send him numerous messages, but there was no reply.   
After the noon, he skipped classes and decided to visit Hiyori. Going there, he stopped by a store and buy some fruits and drinks. It was the first time he did it for Hiyori, so it took some time. He tried to remember what was his favorite. After some thinking, he decided to take sweet thinks, since Hiyori always adds sugar to his coffee. Ikuya was a bit ashamed. He knew him for years and still didn’t know what Hiyori likes.   
He will change it.  
He will ask.  
He will learn about Hiyori. He will learn how to be a good friend.   
They will talk. Naturally, they have a lot to talk about. After apologies and thanks, he wanted to talk about their relationship. Who was he for Hiyori? Was he ready to tell Hiyori what he feel towards him? 

_[ **BAD ENDING** – if you don’t want to read it, skip to chapter 2, where a GOOD ENDING is being posted]_

He was surprised, when he saw that Hiyori’s door were opened. It was unusual, because the boy was always so careful. Ikuya knocked carefully, before he made a step inside.   
“Hiyori?”, he asked. His hear was beating really fast and he felt nausea. Something was wrong.   
“Who are you?” asked a woman, who was in Hiyori’s room. Basing on her look, Ikuya guessed it was Hiyori’s mother.  
“Oh. Good afternoon” he bowed automatically. “I’m looking for Hiyori. Tono Hiyori.”  
The woman sighed and touched her temple. It was at this point, when Ikuya saw her bloody eyes. She was crying a lot recently.  
“Hiyori is at hospital. Yesterday… well. He wasn’t careful enough and he was hit by a car.”  
Ikuya’s stomach dropped. Paper bag hit the ground, when he sit down on the chair. He couldn’t catch his breath. He was looking at her with eyes wide open, wishing for her to say it was just a joke. A mistake. A tragic misunderstanding.   
“Oh, dear” she touched his cheek. “Breathe, please. The doctor said he hit his head, but there is no internal bleeding or any broken bones. Hiyori is just bruised, but he’s not waking up. The doctor thinks he just need time”, she started to cry again. Ikuya sat there, speechless. “I don’t know what happened. Hiyori… my boy was always so careful. Responsible. Why he step on the pedestrian crossing without looking out? What was he thinking?”, she sniffed. “I need to get to hospital. Bring him some stuff. I… who are you anyway?” she asked, looking at him.   
“I’m… I’m Kirishima Ikuya.”   
She nodded.   
“Hiyori told me about you. You’re his only friend, aren’t you? Thank you for always taking care of Hiyori.”  
Ikuya tried to keep it all together. He needed to be strong.   
“Sorry, miss Tono” he said slowly. “It was the... The other way around. It was Hiyori who took care of me. I relied on him so much. Too much.”  
Woman smiled kindly. Sadly.   
“There’s nothing wrong. Hiyori like you. When I talk with him about his swimming, he always says about you first, keeping his successes to himself or just casually talks about them. You gave him a hobby and you kept him company when we were working. I just want to thank you for being his friend.”  
He snapped. He curled up and screamed as a wounded animal. He wasn’t Hiyori’s friend. He was using him and now the wold was punishing not him, but Hiyori. 

The next month is shared between University, training and hospital. It was heartbreaking to see Hiyori in white sheets. Silent, stiff, pale. Such unusual. He missed his voice, his smile. Their talks about sport. Their small escapades to cinemas to see bad horrors. He didn’t even like them so much, but it was fun with Hiyori.   
“I’ve brought a book you like” he said to the sleeping boy. “Would you like me to read it for you?”  
When there was no answer, Ikuya tapped his fingers on the cover of the book.   
“I need to tell you something. I… I’ve talked to Haru and the others. We cleared it. We’re not friends, but it’s okay. The time will show. We will try to be… normal, I guess? Talk with each other. They want to meet you. I promised that when you wake up we will go together to aquarium. So Hiyori… wake up already, okay?”   
But the boy was still silent. Ikuya reached out and take his hand. He was so cold and lanky. Hiyori was kept hydrated via dip, but it wasn’t enough. Ikuya wasn’t a doctor, but he saw how skinny Hiyori was now. It was painfully. It was all his fault.  
He put his hand higher, touched his cheek with Hiyori’s cold fingers.   
“I am so sorry, Hiyori. If I just look back then… If I come to you and talk normally. This wouldn’t happen. It’s my fault. That argument, you here… I am such terrible friend. I am sorry. Let me fix it. Wake up, Hiyori. Let’s talk. Let’s be friends again. Real friends. Please…”  
Maybe it was God who heard him? Or maybe it was finally the time, but Hiyori moved a little. He groaned and tried to open his eyes. Ikuya moved closer.  
“Hiyori it’s okay. Relax. Nurse! Nurse, he is… he is waking up!”  
The following minutes were a mess. A doctor and a nurse came into the room and ask him to leave. Using this opportunity, he called Hiyori’s mother. Ikuya was happy. His heart was beating faster, finally with some hope. They will make it right now. They will have a chance to start again. During this month, he tried to pick up words. Ikuya finally knew what he wanted to say. There were nothing like them, but he wanted them to be. They can start with friendship. Maybe later change it into something more. Step by step. Without complications.  
“Mister Kirishima? Miss Tono gave her permission to inform you about Mister Tono state” the doctor said, when he left the room. Ikuya focused on him, nodding his head. Since Hiyori’s parents were busy, they gave him the right to get access to Hiyori’s medical records and information. “I’m happy to tell you that Mister Tono woke up. He is lost and confused, but it’s normal. He gave us his birth date, his blood type and some general information. Yet he cannot remember the accident and what preceded it. It could be shock. Give him some time, he will probably get it back.”  
“May… may I see him now?”   
“Yes, of course. But please, keep it quiet. Try not to upset him or enforce him to remember something.”   
“Yes, sure. Thank you.”  
He bowed to the doctor and get into the Hiyori’s room. It was so good to see him awake. Hiyori was sitting in bed, looking outside the window. He was still pale and ill-looking, but he was conscious. When he heard him coming in, he looked at him and smile faintly.   
“Hey...”, Ikuya started, feeling his blood rushing through his veins. “You woke up.”  
“It looks like I did”, Hiyori answered, blinking slowly. “I had such weird dreams” he admitted and Ikuya couldn’t helped it and smiled.   
“You can tell me about them later.”  
“Yeah. May I ask you something?”  
“Of course. The date? What happened when you were asleep?”  
“That too” Hiyori blinked faster, looking like he was trying to focus on something. His forehead was covered in sweat. “May… may I ask you who you are?”


	2. GOOD ENDING

When he made it to Hiyori’s apartment, he was ready to talk to him.   
Well, first of all he will scold him for not picking up his phone. They could argue, but it wasn’t okay to make Ikuya distress so much. If Hiyori wanted to punish him, he did great job. Ikuya was sick with worry. He realized how much he like Hiyori. How much meaningless his life would be without him.   
Ikuya decided to face Haruka and the others together with Hiyori. He will ask them to come by, some neutral ground. Ikuya will explain why he asked Hiyori to act so rudely towards them. He will apologize for it. He will apologize to Hiyori. It was time to stop this childish behavior. They were all adults, they can talk it over. Make some compromises. Maybe they won’t be “best buddies” again right away, but with time and patience, they can accomplish it. Ikuya wished that Hiyori would become their friend too. He was worth it. Maybe Hiyori and Makoto get along? They share so many character traits.   
“Hiyori?”, he pushed the intercom. “Hiyori, it’s me. Ikuya.”  
The door opened slowly and a wave of heat hit Ikuya’s face. Hiyori was standing there, dressed in t-shirt and sweat pants. He was red and sweaty.   
“Ikuya, it’s not the best time…”, he coughed. “It seems I’ve caught something. I don’t want you to get sick too.”  
“It’s okay. Idiots don’t catch colds, don’t you know that?” he entered his friend’s home and touched Hiyori’s forehead. “You have fever. Go lay down. Have you eaten something?”  
“No. Ikuya you cannot act like… like nothing happened.”  
“You’re right. But we will talk when you get to the bed.”  
An hour later, Ikuya brought him some vegetable soup and tea. He sat beside Hiyori, who wasn’t sleeping. He was clearly waiting for him, wondering what was in Ikuya’s mind this time.   
“I am sorry”, the young boy said finally. “Not only about yesterday. I am sorry, because you were right all this time. You were right when you told me to forget about Haru and move on. My stubbornness only caused you pain. I asked you to do nasty things. I asked you to play such nasty role and you did it. You did it for me.”  
Hiyori smiled and looked away.  
“You know why. There is nothing I won’t do for you, Ikuya. I am not mad at you. If you don’t want me to interfere again, I’ll step back. As long as you are happy…”  
“I’ll be happy if I stop it. Haru and Asahi made a mistake. But I am human. I also made mistakes. I tried to obtain something great, without realizing that I already have greater things in my life. Being your friend, Hiyori. Having my older brother. I am not alone. I won’t go down, because I have never been alone. You were always with me and I was stupid and blind. I am so sorry, Hiyori.”  
The older boy was shocked. He would never dreamed about Ikuya being so honest with him or anybody else.   
“You’ve told me I am stronger then this. But I am not. But it’s nothing bad. I will grow up to this strength. You’ve told me that I can be whoever I want to be. A new me. And I want it to happen. I want to be a better person. But to make it happen, I need you by my side. Please stay with me, Hiyori. Please… let us be friends. Maybe later something more. But for now… Watch over me. Watch my change.”  
Hiyori smiled happily. He carefully take Ikuya’s hand.   
“You’ve already changed. Matured.”  
“I will be mature if… No, no ‘if’. I’ll be mature when I talk to Haru and Asahi. When I apologize to them. Can you consider being friends with them?”  
“With them? I don’t know” Hiyori chuckled. He suddenly felt so light. “We have to ask them if they want to be friends with us in the first place.”  
“I don;t think that will be a problem”, Ikuya admitted. “First of all you need to get better. After that we will… try to fix everything. Together.”  
“Together”, Hiyori agreed.   
After all – if they were together, they were unstoppable.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry again?

**Author's Note:**

> I am so sorry.


End file.
